Yes, I Moved Into a Former Crack House and Need Prayers for Discernment in the Ministry for the Poor

For some reason BlogSpot is not allowing this short video of a priest blessing a house.  Not to worry, just know that this took place and that it will be used in the witness and spirit of the hospitality of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in addition to other entities such as the highest levels of the charisms and gifts of the Holy Spirit -- praise, healing, prophetic word and visions, miracles of all kinds, and much more toward the poorest and most forgotten.  The last mentioned above parts somewhat with the focus of the Catholic Worker Movement, among other things happening in some of the more vocal houses.  Peter and Dorothy's witness though of their passionate Catholicism, and their radical 
and sacrificial love of the poor and lives dedicated to the poor, will continue through this house!  Pray along with MANY, including Benedictine monasteries and abbeys, for the canonization of Dorothy Day AND Peter Maurin!  Come, Holy Spirit, come!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19YtFTTJtIKKhyN4eIUWNQ7Zgq5W1-6ri/view?usp=sharing

Rainbow Miracles and Beautiful Music!

By Monica       PDHOH  Columbus, Ohio 

     I had to share some things that happened last Friday at Hope on High with my outdoor dwelling friends on the South end!  BEAUTIFUL guitar playing and music was done by Carson and Willy!  THEN, to top off an amazingly entertaining night, was a spectacular show in the sky -- with a rainbow leading my path on a highway, then practically driving under a complete rainbow!!  Thank you Jesus!!  Good things are coming!  Well, couldn't get videos to upload here because it said that each one is too large, sorry!  You can join me on Facebook under Monica Siemer Jmj
    I am selling my house and moving into a poorer area soon to begin Peter and Dorothy's House of Hospitality!  Pray for me!

Yes, Peter and Dorothy's House of Hospitality is Really Going to Begin!!

By Monica      PDHOH    Columbus, Ohio

    God put into my hands two things within three days to point me in the directions of actually BEGINNING a community that lived as Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin lived: Peter and Dorothy's House of Hospitality!  Starting very small and aimed toward "street people," or those dwelling mostly outside, I finally am taking steps to start this mission, yayy!!
    The two thing that happened were these:   our St. Patrick's Benedictine Oblate organizer, Vicki Albright, said that the Vatican is wanting to step up the cause for sainthood of Dorothy Day, a Third Order Benedictine too!  We had all been praying and she asked us to continue since it was so close!  Msgr. Mottet always said that Peter Maurin should be canonized right alongside Dorothy because it was his idea, his push to be implemented, etc.  He only lived for the first 15 years, but Dorothy did it for almost 50 yrs!
    The second thing God used to point my attention to Dorothy was that my newly widowed 80+ year old neighbor, not a Catholic, gave me a book that her late husband had had and that she had never seen before going through his things.  It was the book, The Reckless Way of Love, Notes on Following Jesus by Dorothy Day (2017)  Ha, ha!  They are not even CATHOLICS!  I am not sure many Catholics would have such a radical book, let alone an elderly Episcopal neighbor!
     I hope to eventually add the Peter Maurin House of Hospitality, Casa de Hospitalidad de Guadalupe, and Casa de Hospitalidad Oscar Romero.
    I encourage anyone who does not know much about this Mother Teresa of New York for nearly 50 years, as I have often called Dorothy Day, please read this newest pocket-sized book, The Reckless Way of Love, Notes on Following Jesus by Dorothy Day (2017).  It is a compilation and summary of her very best inspirations!  Her life and shining witness were her greatest inspiration though, in the spirit of St. Francis of Assissi (another pacifist): "Preach at all times, only sometimes use words."
    PRAY FOR THE CANONIZATION OF DOROTHY DAY AND PETER MAURIN, please. :)

Pope Francis, Please Canonize Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin

Dear Pope Francis,

       Please, we ask you, go ahead and canonize Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, two American Catholic saints who modeled the early Church like no others here! Please, dear Papa.

      In Christ,
        Thomas and Monica Siemer

My father, Tom Siemer's, portrait of Dorothy

Peter Maurin

It will bring light,
to all the killing in the
world!

Benedictine Spirituality of Accountability, a Heart-to-Heart Talk

Monica,   Columbus, Ohio

What a precious night with the Hope on High people! Such a quietness and gentleness in these homeless people and especially in how they ask for something. They barely ask and only after you have been talking for a while. You can barely hear their voices, just above a whisper, that they almost say in passing, trailing off,.. something like, "Do you have any sterno to heat my tent, it's supposed to stay cold tonight," or "are there any heavy blankets?" All these things they are in DIRE need of too, but never push, never in demanding (except for Stanley -- ha ha --- long story).
I wanted to post snippets that spoke to me from a booklet one of my beloved Benedictine priests from "my" Archabbey in Indiana, St. Meinrad's, called "Accountability as a Heart to Heart Talk," by Fr. Mateo Zamora, OSB. I will just quote him. I also changed the order to read the most important part if you do not have time for longer. Just in time for Lent too! Praise Jesus.
"Although it [accountability] presents consequences for bad behavior, the "Rule of St. Benedict" actually provides us with a very positive and refreshing take on accountability, .... a heart-to-heart talk..:
'Listen carefully, my son, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart. This is advice from a father who loves you; welcome it, and faithfully put it into practice' (RB Prol:1).'
The 'Rule' begins with a command: 'Listen!' I don't know about you, but whenever I am told to listen, it usually means that I am in trouble. Either I am in trouble or I am not paying attention...
It is interesting to note that the word 'obedience' is rooted in the Latin word 'audire,' which means 'to listen.' ... Accountability, then, as a discipline of mutual obedience, is first of all a practice of listening to one another.
'Listen carefully' (RB Prol:1)
The reason, I think, that some calls to accountability do not work is because, instead of a heart-to-heart talk, it is a mouth-to-ear talk.... this is counsel 'from a father who loves you.' (RB Prol:1).
The father is doing this not to make the son feel bad for doing bad. He is opening up his heart because he cares about him. He is concerned about what he is doing -- or not doing...
Why is it a heart-to-heart talk? It has to be a heart-to-heart talk because the topic is deeply personal. It involves one's behavior, one's faults, one's mistakes, those delicate details that nobody ever wants to discuss ...
Genuine accountability has to be a heart-to-heart talk because it involves hurts.... because there is a relationship that exists (child and father) and this relationship is very important to both.
.... because that is how love operates: not through the mouth or guts or brain or the liver (ha, ha, I liked that line), but through the heart.
In this model of Christian accountability from St. Benedict, both parties are willing to be vulnerable. They are opening up their hearts to one another. That is why it works. To be vulnerable here -- from the Latin "vulnus," which is translated as wound --means that they show their wounds to each other; they reveal their injuries.
Both have been wounded and the relationship itself has been damaged. They show their wounds to each other so that they can be tended to and healed.
Christ who 'humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross' (Phil. 2:8) We see our Lord hanging on the cross and there He bares not only His heart to us, but also all the wounds that our sinfulness has caused.
The Almighty has put his utter vulnerability on display on that cross to reassure each one of us that He is willing to do anything and suffer everything, if only we would be reconciled with Him. He opens up his Sacred Heart, not to demand justice, much less to exact vengeance, but rather to offer us mercy and forgiveness.
From that cross, the Lord invites us to a heart-to-heart talk. The question is: Are we ready? Are we ready to bare our hearts to Him?"
..this discipline of accountability ... can be a way of life, just as it has been for those who have followed the "Rule of St. Benedict" these 1,500 plus years.
[Finally, his Part 1)
Obedience is a blessing to be shown by all and to all. It is a blessing, or better yet, a benediction, which comes from the Latin verb "benedicere," which literally means to speak well of somebody, to commend another, to say something good to someone. Obedience is a blessing to be shown by by all and to all.... we owe it to everyone in the community.
When we forget that obedience is a blessing to be shown by all and to all, we start neglecting one another's feelings, one another's needs, and one another's dignity.
Christian accountability is a discipline of mutual obedience in a community of disciples. It means that everyone cares about everybody, and everyone looks out for everybody. It is a culture not of selfishness, but of selflessness. It is a discipline, the way of the disciple of Christ, for He said, 'This is how all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another' (Jn. 13:35).

These photos remind me of many of my friends on the south end.  No, they are not homeless, they usually live in tents, boarded up houses, sheds, make-shift shacks, and one even on a bench on the side of High St.

St. Francis: "Preach at all Times, Only Sometimes, Use Words"

        Monica,  Columbus, Ohio

       Beyond words was the experience last night with the homeless on Williams Rd., with the portable soup kitchen of Hope on High.  I went to be with my South side buddies, mainly the homeless who live in the woods close by, to simply sit and share lives at meal with each other.
       Aaron still struggles greatly with addiction, and all I did was listen to a litany, beautifully and eloquently spoken, of what has been taking place in the woods and his personal life through all this.  If he could only see how exquisite he is in the eyes of Jesus, which is what I prayed unceasingly while he was talking.  I have done this with him at least four or five times.  He said at the end, "Next time I see your smiling face, I am going to be clean and beginning a new relationship with my 17 year old daughter."
       Fred ("Santa") and Red, his girlfriend in a wheelchair from crushed bones in her feet (from a great height suicide attempt) were there. So glad to see them and get to catch up!  Scott came, whose girlfriend Harmony is in jail awaiting a sentencing for probation violation on March 1. He was just released the day before from two weeks in a facility for mental health (from missing her during her arrest).  I prayed with him, and ask all of you readers to please pray for Harmony.  She must call her probation officer every night at 6:15 to see if they should meet the next day.  Being homeless and having no cell phone makes this very difficult (and being surrounded by others who do not have cell phones -- and there are no payphones anymore!).
      Scott emphasized that the homeless are discriminated against every single day.  She was caught because she was breaking apart a very dangerous verbal fight between the friend and her boyfriend.  The neighbors called the police.  Pray for Harmony on March 1, please.
      "Baby," a huge man (tall and big), "fifteen years living as a homeless man," got so angry at the man I was eating and speaking with who was laughing at something separate that he pulled out a large wide knife and sat it on the table while he yelled at him some.  Scott stopped him, took his knife and put it in his coat, and almost started a real fight.  I stormed the heavens and they both took it outside the big tent and cleared it up.
      Viola was there and her boyfriend Tim! Tim broke his foot tripping on a cut-off small tree stump, and is on crutches (they were the ones living in the closet of a boarded up home).  I was able to bring four large trash bags of clothing from those who donated to the December parties we threw there.  Viola got new clothes, a coat, and a much needed blanket.  I gave them three propane cans to get them a few warm nights.  Such a sweet couple.  I gave propane to others as well, because it is still winter out there.
      Tyrell came and looks better than the last time I saw him, always smiling wide!  We sat and talked. Such a DOLL baby!! I get FAR more out of all this than they do!!  Michael did not show nor Tim Tom; and I was so sad. Tim is the one homeless even among them, without a tent, and Michael has serious spinal and other health issues. I hope they are okay, and I pray for them often.  Michael has the titanium rod along most of his spine, etc.
       Papa Bear came!!   He looks sooo different from December!  He's been very sick in the past couple of weeks.  He has lost so much weight and is weaker (in his seventies?).  Thanks to EDDIE BAUER for donating an additional 25-30 brand new winter coats!!!   All of them were taken and very well appreciated!  Papa Bear got the sassiest red and black ski jacket -- for UNDER his winter coat that was a jacket of jean material.  He said it felt much much better.
      Throughout the night I was able to take one to two groups "home" to the edge of the woods, at different openings, with all their new belongings.  My favorite trip was with Michelle, a woman I just met in her 50's whose been in these woods for a year with a 27 year old daughter, Mikaela.  We just sat at the edge of the woods and talked and talked about both our families. Words cannot describe the beauty of the conversation.  I always always pray in the Holy Spirit as I listen, and He always shows up.
     I feel God may be asking me to buy a house or two down there, with land, to possibly begin a little community of these homeless and "forgotten" people. It would be difficult for them to just be added to a middle class family, in a Christ Room that Dorothy Day promoted.  One reason is how different and even lonely they would feel apart from their friends and people who have shared their experiences.  They need community.
      They are SOOOO in need of everything though, and I want to REALLY help them, not simply say, "God bless, keep warm and well fed," as Jesus (or St. Paul?) warned in the Scriptures.  Not just to "preach" to them, or give them an experience of God then walk away, with such dire situations and circumstances.  I am speaking to myself as well.  I am guilty.
      Coming here once or twice a month and befriending them is just not enough for me at all.  Show me the way, Lord.  What do you want?
     Please pray for me!  And especially for all these people on the South side.  "We" - all 80-100 main BFF's in heaven and I - claim this South side area for Christ!  We bind and cast out anything of evil from all these woods (boy did Aaron have some stories), and all those whose mascot is the Marion-Franklin Red Devils, the school right by there that generations have gone to and heavily support!           Please God, help us claim this all back for you, especially any spirits of addictions, hopelessness, and atheism!  Come, Holy Spirit, come!!
         

Fourth Outdoor Party for the Homeless on FRIDAY, Feb. 15

To any Columbus natives, we had two beautiful Christmas parties for the homeless on the South end in December and one in January.  There is another one from 5-7, Monday, February 18, at the parking lot of Heer Park by the South High Planet Fitness on Williams Rd. just off of South High Street.
Wanting to continue the friendships begun, we will join HOPE ON HIGH, a multi-church effort begun by the Obetz Church of the Nazarene, with their set up of a nearly four-sided large tent, with hot air pumped in, lights, tables, chairs, and a banquet style soup kitchen on wheels!  I am bringing some beef stew, but come, and bring whatever you can!  There usually is a grave need for warm  blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, etc), and a lot of GREAT conversation!
Pray for these homeless on the South end, and for a bigger Catholic presence down there!  Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Homeless People in the Woods Here in Columbus Who Need Our Help

By Monica    Columbus, Ohio

       I was able to take a hike yesterday all around a huge area where a teacher friend (here at my new school) said an entire colony of homeless people live.  Last week, on beginning to explore it by car, or find the general vicinity, I stumbled upon a security guard who told me a sad story.  He said that several establishments (businesses) were tired of these people begging for money or food, and using their facilities for their bathroom and decided to cut down much of a forest they were in behind his building.

This was not what I found, but very similar

       I cannot begin to fathom this, toward people that cannot get any lower than they are, or can they?  He motioned that they just moved farther back, but yesterday I found that they seemed to not be where he pointed. I did stumble upon a small community of between 8 and 10 people though, one seeming very very agreeable to a few of us coming back to bring hot soup, a bonfire, Christmas cookies, and many necessities that we can get our hands on for them.  I gave, without a split second of hesitation on their part, a sleeping bag and comforter that we had extra and several pairs of Dory's old soccer socks, which cover the calf.
       My nephew, Dominic Evans, who is in his second year with Christ in the City in Denver, told me that they always always need socks, gloves, underwear, and hand-warmers that they just throw into to bottom of their sleeping bags.  My Fourth Grade students came up with many other amazing ideas, like an outhouse, a firepit and wood, hair and beard trimmer kit and haircuts, water, books (that they can then use for the fire - HA), and many other things.

       I found that this camp relied on propane ("about $17.00 per month) to fuel their warmth.  This is a bitter snap right now and I hope to help them get more. I just can't imagine the bathing and bathroom part, brushing the teeth, getting any laundry done.  I badly want to buy a house nearby and start a day center minimally, like from 10:00-4:00 where they have companionship, warmth, a great large hot meal for lunch, cleaning opportunities like showering, shaving, and laundering, and just a warm welcome place to take a nap.
       I also want to get one with land -- there's a lot around there -- and farm or garden a lot there!  Hopefully even get some or many of them into a full time community with me there, 24/7, where they are family.  AI am dying to garden, farm, harvest, and can everything!  When I worked the Appalachian Project I asked a 94 year old woman what the Depression was like.  She said, "Why we didn't even know there was a Depression!  We had everything we needed right here!  We had a couple cows, chickens, our garden, canned things, drinking water from our pump, everything.
        That always stuck with me and I buy canning things at every turn.  A teacher friend who commuted from the country about an hour every day from the country caned everything for her family's whole winter in a huge garden.  How cool it that!  Msgr. Mottet loved to, and Tony Gallenstein, when he lived as one with the poor!
     Pray for guidance!  Beg the harvest Master for more workers in the field, as Jesus said to do, please.  Dorothy and Peter, please pray for me!  St. Peter Claver, St. Martin de Porres and Martin de Porres, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Vincent de Paul, please pray for me!!  St. Francis of Assissi and St. Pio too!  And especially, Mary St. Joseph, who embraces the homeless whole-heartedly! Come, Holy Spirit, come!

It Is Well With My Soul

by Monica  Columbus, Ohio

The following song is for those who have experienced immense long-suffering (one of the virtues) in waiting for God's Will to unfold in beautiful visions and dreams, especially ones for Him.  It is also for any suffering religious persecution, which can be the most painful. Moreover, this is also dedicated to those with huge and painful setbacks in life of all kinds --- cancer, job loss, money loss, family and friends' deaths, etc.  Christ's peace is at our fingertips, and His healing rays are on their way. Find someone to pray with you who has the gift of calling down the Holy Spirit in a mighty way.


This was written by Horatio Spatford in the late 1800's at the death of his four little daughters just after the loss of all of his assets and job in the Chicago fire. 

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know^a

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, (it is well),

With my soul, (with my soul)

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life,

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

A song in the night, oh my soul!^b

Background

This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford's life. The first was the death of his son at the age of two and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago that was extensively damaged by the great fire). His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873, at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.^[2] Bliss called his tune Ville du Havre, from the name of the stricken vessel.^[3]

The Spaffords later had three more children. On February 11, 1880, their son, Horatio Goertner Spafford, died at the age of four, of scarlet fever. Their daughters were Bertha Hedges Spafford (born March 24, 1878) and Grace Spafford (born January 18, 1881). Their Presbyterian church regarded their tragedy as divine punishment. In response, the Spaffords formed their own Messianic sect, dubbed "the Overcomers" by American press. In 1881, the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Ottoman-Turkish Palestine. The Spaffords settled in Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony. Colony members, later joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work among the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives—thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures. The colony later became the subject of Jerusalem by the Nobel prize-winning author, Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.^[2]

 For those undergoing great setbacks in their ministries, particularly slanderous attacks and persecutions, here is a quote given to me by my good friend and co-teacher (of 4th graders) at my new building, Karol Carmen.  She handed me a mug with this quote on it and said, "I felt like God was asking me to give this to you."  She had no idea about all the religious persecution I have been going through because I had never mentioned it to her.

   It goes,

"The tallest Oak in the forest was once just a tiny nut that held its ground."

Thanks Karol!

I only knew Karol for 3 months because she just died of a massive coronary on Nov. 4.  Thank you, Karol, for this powerful message!  I thank you, Jesus, especially, for giving it to me through her.  Yes, I have finally begun to hold my ground, thanks to you, Karol, and God's message to me through you!  More inspirations about God's "permissive Will" below -- worth reading!

The following video, the holiest video on Youtube in my opinion, helps one to get through ANY kind of adversity!  Here is the link to the Litany of Humility with pictures from the movie, The Passion of the Christ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm2kfTwncbI

  

Does God ever cause or is part of actually causing suffering of His servants, His beloved, His closest followers? After reading several books such as Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence by Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure and St. Claude de Columbiere, as well as The Ascent to Mt. Carmel and Dark Night of the Soul (one of St. Teresa of Calcutta's all time favorites), by St. John of the Cross, I have come to believe that God allows the suffering of innocent and even holy people, called his "Permissive Will," I learned recently from a dear friend.  (the word, "demon" comes from "demean," especially in terms of good people wrongfully persecuted).

I recently had a long trip home with a very holy dear friend who believes that God never ever causes anything we would consider "bad" or persecuting to an individual.  We are in agreement that God never causes illness, disease, major accidents, and so forth, which are caused by everyone's free will bumping against each others' in addition to the human condition while here.

We talked about God's permissive Will too -- how God sometimes allows persecutions in order to forge us like metal into His tools, like Isaiah being forged into a ploughing tool and gold that is tested in fire, with others.  The following are a few Bible quotes.

Job 42:10   "They [friends, family, etc] consoled him and comforted him for all the evil the Lord had brought upon him."

Sirach 2:3-5   "Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing misfortune be patient, for in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation."  Does He then, or can He then, actively do the purifying without pain and suffering?  Can metals and elements that are not gold, (and other flaws), ever be separated out except for heat high enough to make metal a liquid?  Can this ever not involve suffering?  Does God do this intense purifying so that the final product is pure gold alone? 

Isaiah 41:15   "I will make of you a threshing sledge (large metal tool), sharp, new, full of teeth, to thresh the mountains..."  The strikes to hot metal in making tools are immense. 

Isaiah 50:6   "I gave my back to those who strike me, my cheeks to those who pluck out my beard; I did not cover my face from buffets and spitting..."  Coming right after the above quote, it appears that Isaiah is spelling out the details of how God Himself actually made of him a sharp-edged tool, through these very things He willed for him, even in excruciating torment at the hands of other religious people.

Even with Christ Himself, the Father willed enormous suffering upon Him, fully human and fully divine, as shown in the following quotes.

Isaiah 53:5 "But He was pierced for our offenses; crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." 

Hebrews 5: 8-9  "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through suffering.  And having been made perfect, He became the source of salvation to all who obey Him."  Hebrews 5:8-9

Philipians 2:8   "And being found in appearances a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross."  Who is He obeying that is doing this to Him?  Could the Father ever not actively Will all aspects of His death for the salvation of the world?

St. Teresa of Calcutta was a huge St. John of the Cross fan, as many of us. His books mentioned above also propose God doing the purgations of our soul to bring us to higher levels of oneness with Him.

The nights which the soul experiences are the two necessary purgations on the path to Divine union: the first purgation is of the sensory or sensitive part of the soul, the second of the spiritual part (Ascent of Mount Carmel, Ch. 1, 2). Such purgations comprise the first of the three stages of the mystical journey, followed by those of illumination and then union.^[2]St. John does not actually use the term "dark night of the soul", but only "dark night" ("noche oscura").  

Below is the poem He wrote when imprisoned wrongly by his fellow Carmelite brothers for nine months in a "dungeon," beaten and nearly starved.  He came to heavily embrace the experience from God's own hand that lead to much deeper levels of mysticism and oneness with God.

The Dark Night 

St John Of the Cross

"On a dark night,
Kindled in love with yearnings–oh, happy chance!–
I went forth without being observed,
My house being now at rest.

In darkness and secure,
By the secret ladder, disguised–oh, happy chance!–
In darkness and in concealment,
My house being now at rest.

In the happy night,
In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught,
Without light or guide, save that which burned in my
heart.

This light guided me
More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me–
A place where none appeared.

Oh, night that guided me,
Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined Beloved with lover,
Lover transformed in the Beloved!

Upon my flowery breast,
Kept wholly for himself alone,
There he stayed sleeping, and I caressed him,
And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.

The breeze blew from the turret
As I parted his locks;
With his gentle hand he wounded my neck
And caused all my senses to be suspended.

I remained, lost in oblivion;
My face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself,
Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies."

Does this idea make one want to run from God, or hate God?  Is He a good Father or not, one may think.  Do children run from a genuinely loving human father or Dad who has to sometimes harshly reprimand children or teenagers when their behavior is totally out of control?  Do they turn around and hate Him or eventually love him all the greater.  Especially when they realize he was so good for them at that time?

This is all the more true when they realize that he knows what he is doing from past history and they already have a trusting, tender relationship with their father, who must come down harshly from time to time.

Listen to the music and lyrics of the Hillsong, "New Wine," about the crushing and pressing God does to make us into new, powerful wine! This goes hand in hand with what one of my dear Benedictine monks, Brother Martin, says that God does to us to prepare us to be His bread and wine in the world.  

The song, "New Wine":     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxo-_SrV1q4&list=RDQxo-_SrV1q4&start_radio=1

Brother Martin explained that He did not come as grapes and wheat, but bread and wine, two man-made things.  HE NEEDS US to be His bread and wine in the world.  He first takes the wheat and pulverizes it to a fine powder.  Then he mixes is with ingredients and BAKES it at a high temperature.  The grapes he smashes to smithereens, liquifying them completely, then he ferments them over a long period of time in which there is a strong chemical change, making them into wine.

But what about when it is not to correct faults, but to strengthen and ready a soul for something big coming in their lives?  Is God the alchemist, then, starting and stoking the fires of purification or strengthening of metal, done in great love, as with Isaiah?

On a sidenote, St. Teresa of Calcutta once said that a turning the other cheek, also a painful persecution, is not a passive act, but a standing your ground in offering the other cheek.  It is a choosing to love, even those who strike you or crucify your character with slanderous words, to offer the cheek in staying within these scenarios, in standing the ground in the righteousness of God.

Finally, what did Jesus say about persecution.  At the end of my favorite all time Bible reading, the Beatitudes, He emphasizes the following (Luke 6:22-23).

"Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude you and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets
in just the same way." 

"Would that I might know Christ
and the power of His resurrection
and that I might share
 in His sufferings."
          -  St. Ignatius of Loyola

     Please, dear Pope Francis, dear Papa, assign a beloved new bishop to the Columbus, Ohio diocese who will be a voice for the charismatic renewal here, especially reopening Encounter Ministries U.S., and one with a heart and voice for the poor and for peace.  Here is the song and background information from Wikipedia.

  Please, dear Papa, if you will, could you go ahead and canonize Dorothy Day (and Peter Maurin), please.

Reckless, Passionate Love of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist (Consecrated Bread)

      By Monica    Columbus,  Ohio

       I went into the "desert" this summer, discerning many things as well as drawing more closely to God to better hear His voice and promptings.  The following is a treasure trove of precious diamonds and jewels uncovered in The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius (Tan Classics, 1914 and 2010) with this section focusing on Jesus Christ in the consecrated Eucharist (holy bread consecrated by a priest) as well as housed in all the tabernacles of the world.  I am mainly quoting from the book, with perhaps a few thoughts and inspirations in brackets.  Look out, it is powerful!
     -- "... in every single city [Jesus in tabernacles - small metal ornate 'houses' like the ark of the covenant, that houses Jesus in consecrated bread] ... so that there shall not be any Christian who may not enjoy converse with Him."  (p. 142)

     -- "They [Apostles, disciples] possessed Our Savior during the days of His mortal life.  ...It appear to be to your advantage .. [now, in the bread].  They possessed Jesus Christ in the state of His infirmity; you possess Him in the state of glory [when visiting Him in the exposed Eucharist at Adoration].  They only possessed Him in intervals, for Jesus frequently retired from the company of men to solitude; you possess Him constantly, [if you think about it, receiving communion every day makes Him physically become part of your body continuously!]...  He does not reside more really in heaven than He resides in our sanctuaries." (143)
     -- "Jesus Christ promises you possessions honorable, unfailing, infinite, eternal... they [those who follow Him whole-heartedly such as his Apostles and disciples] have only been surprised in being rendered happier even beyond their hopes ...  Jesus Christ has the most sacred and incontestable rights over your heart." (p. 131)
     -- [I add this next part, the ending of the St. John of the Cross poem, "Dark Night of the Soul:"
"I remained, lost in oblivion;
My face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself,
Leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies."

"The Life of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist"

       -- "Consider that our Lord reproduces in His Eucharistic Life all the states of all the virtues of His mortal life. (!!!)
     --  "The tabernacles represent the humble house at Nazareth.  ... a life of retreat, of prayer, of obedience."
     --  "He is in a state of absolute dependence, always submissive to the ministers [priests], equally ready, according to their will, either to remain hidden in the tabernacle, or to present Himself to the adoration of the faithful, or to transport Himself to the houses or to the hospitals, to visit His suffering members."  (143-144)
     -- "He [Jesus] teaches still, no longer by His words, but by His example -- by His poverty, by His humility, by His flight from the world, ..."

     -- "The suffering life of our Savior is perpetuated in the sacrament of the Altar ... the same trials ..., the same sadness of heart ..., the same abandonment ..., the same insults ..., the same torment of His Sacred body, equally crucified by His executioners on Calvary ...  The same examples of patience ..., of detachment ..., of charity ..., in a word, of the same heroic sacrifices." (144)
     -- "... the Eucharist ... is an extension of the mystery of the Incarnation, ... but MUCH MORE WONDERFUL is the union He contracts with us in the Eucharist.  In the Incarnation, He takes a nature like ours; He enters into our family, He makes Himself one of us -- our brother.  In the Eucharist He goes farther; it is no longer to a nature like ours He unites Himself, He unites Himself to each one in particular; it is no longer to our family He allies Himself, it is to our person."
     -- "How does He unite Himself to us in the Eucharist?  By the nearest and most intimate union.  The Fathers (of the Church) compare it to the union of two waxes melted into a mix together (St. Cyril of Alexandria). Our Lord compares it to that which exists between His Father and Himself:
'This is the bread that came down from Heaven ... whoever eats this bread will live forever..."  "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, you shall not have life within you. (John 6:52:54)."

     -- "What does He do to unite Himself to us?  He multiplies miracles and reverses all laws of nature.  He exposes Himself to all insults....  He gives all He has and all His is -- His body, His soul, His divinity, and with this every grace.  He is generous even to exhaustion ... He gives Himself thus entirely, not once only, but every day, if we wish.  Every fresh communion is a new gift that Jesus Christ makes of Himself to us."
     -- "Represent to yourself heaven opening at the voice of the priest and our Lord descending upon the altar amid choirs of angels."
     -- "Beg a lively faith in the mystery of the Eucharist and a tender love for Jesus Christ present in the tabernacle." (146)
     -- "Contemplate our Savior present in the tabernacle and impatient to give Himself to you."  "Represent to yourself [imagine] the glory of His adorable humanity; ... the majesty ...; the sweetness of His countenance ..., the dazzling light that flashes from His wounds...; the flames that escape from His heart ...   What goodness this divine Savior casts on you those eyes, one look from which converted sinners ..." (146).

      -- "Say to Him [Jesus] with the prophet: 'Lord cast your eyes upon me, and have pity on me ...  Look upon me and have mercy on me.'  'Make the light of Your countenance to shine on Your servant...; save me in Your mercy' (ps 31:16)."
     --  "Listen to the incarnate Savior who speaks to you.  And what does He say to you?  Words of consolation: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn.  Blessed are they that suffer persecution."
     --  "Perhaps words of reproach but of sweet and tender reproach ..." (147).
     --  "... words of counsel and invitation: 'Take up my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls;  for My yoke is easy and my burden light."
     --  "Words of encouragement: 'I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich ...'
     --  "Words of desire and love: 'Behold I stand at the door and knock ...'  ' My son, give me your heart (Prov. 23:26)"
     -- "  With holy attention, say to Him, 'Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening..."
     --  " ... the sweetness of the virtues He practices in His Eucharistic life -- His patience, His charity, His obedience, His poverty, His humility, His solitude, His prayer ..., Unite yourself to Him as a model to imitate His example; as a victim, to sympathize with His sorrows ..." (147).

St. Ignatius of Loyola

(founder of the Jesuits, 

Pope Francis' order)

     --  "... application of touch ... woman ... touched the hem of his garment ... Madgalene ... embraced His sacred feet and watered them with her tears; ... Thomas who placed his finger in His wounds; St. John, who reposed on His breast, ..."
     --   "Put yourself in their places ... sometimes as a penitent, embracing His sacred feet and asking pardon for your faults;  sometimes as a disciple, whose confidence requires animating and strengthening, then place your finger in His wounds to convince yourself of His love; sometimes as a friend ... to intimate familiarity, and then figure to yourself that Our Lord presses you to His heart."

     --  "Discourse of Our Lord After the Last Supper"
     --  "Represent yourself the disciple Jesus loved [John], reposing on His bosom and drawing from His heart .. understanding ..."
     --  "Ask the grace to partake Him this place of honor during your meditation [lying against His chest reclining comfortably]... [ It was here that Jesus said: "I will come back and take you to Myself so that where I am you may also be" John 14:3]."
     -- "'If any man loves Me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.' (John 14:23)." (149)

     -- "No servant is greater than His master.  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.' (John 15:20)"
     --  "If I go, I will send the Holy Spirit to you ... He will convince the world of sin, of justice and of judgment.  ... "He will teach you in all truth.'"  "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.' (John 14:27).
      Throughout the entire Exercises of St. Ignatius, the prayer called, "Anima Cristi," is repeated.  I personally did not know this and had been praying this favorite prayer for a few years.  I was ecstatic to see it here, and while it is attributed to St. Ignatius because he prayed it so often, other scholars believe that it was someone before.  Either way, it is powerful.  The sequence of sentences have direct connections with the Eucharist (the consecrated body and blood of Jesus Christ), whose "flesh is real food and blood is real drink," as He boldly proclaimed (John 6:55).

     If you do not believe in the extra power of praying right in the midst of Jesus Christ, exposed in Eucharistic Adoration (when He Himself is put onto an altar outside of the tabernacle), just know that this is how the charismatic renewal in the U.S. began more than 50 years ago.  It was during a retreat at Duquesne  University and the "first" experiences of several Catholics in one night being somewhat "slain in the Spirit" was when they went, one-by-one into the Eucharistic Adoration chapel at Duquesne.  It was that simple.
     The difference is that those with the gift of calling down the Holy Spirit, Ralph Martin among those praying from other places, were calling down the Holy Spirit upon them and the chapel where the retreatants were.  Nothing is as powerful on this earth than sitting with Christ Himself right in front of you, and others, including Mary, interceding for you!

Here is the shorter verssion:

ANIMA CRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, wash me;
Passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus, hear me;
Within your wounds hide me;
let me never be separated from you;
From the evil one protect me;
At the hour of my death, call me;
And bid me close to you that with your saints,
I may praise you forever and ever.

Amen.